Testimony began Monday afternoon in the prelimary examination of Bob Bashara to determine if there is enough evidence to have Bashara stand trial for the murder of his wife, Jane, a popular marketing executive from Grosse Pointe Park.
Jane Bashara's death and the kinky details of her husband's lifestyle have captured national attention since she was was strangled in her garage in January 2012 and her body was dumped in an East Side Detroit alley inside her Mercedes SUV.
Bashara, 55, has been charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, solicitation to commit murder, suborning of perjury during a capital trial, witness intimidation and obstruction of justice.
Bashara already is serving a 6- to 20-year sentence after he pleaded guilty in October to trying to hire a furniture store owner to kill Joe Gentz while the St. Clair Shores handyman was in jail.
Gentz pleaded guilty to killing Jane Bashara and was sentenced to 17-28 years in prison. He also has maintained Bashara hired him to commit the murder.
Testimony from six witnesses Monday included these factoids:
*Bashara’s mother, Nancy Bashara, and a cousin, Stephanie Samuel, said they found a pistol in the safe deposit box they shared at Comerica Bank
*Bob Bashara's children caught him watching pornography.
*Bashara had a habit of sneaking into his children's emails and answering them, pretending to be the *kids. “‘He has no boundaries,’” Jane Bashara told a friend.
*Jane Bashara had a sexless marriage because her husband had erectile dysfunction.
*Bob stole $10,000 from Jane's 401 (k) savings. She changed the password. His rentals made little money.
*Robert Godard Jr. said Bashara introduced him to the BDSM (bondage/discipline/sadomasochism) lifestyle by inviting him to a party at the sex dungeon he operated beneath his Grosse Pointe bar.
*There were other women before Rachel Gillett, but she was Bob's mistress and sex "slave."
